Why not ban high performance cars?

Speed itself does`nt kill, innapropiate speed does. I am lucky enough to own a sports car, which i thrash the ass off at every oppotunity. In the UK we have gasto speed camera`s all over the place. I think that they are in some cases more likely too cause accidents. We are meant to drive at 70mph here on our motorways. Nobody does. I would say 85-90 mph is more the norm.So when i`m going up north at 100-110 mph where i can, i end up looking for cameras out of the corner of my eye, when i know i should be looking at the road 100% of the time. We are not talking bendy roads in built up areas here. I mean dead straight roads in the open countryside (the A14, A1 for example)
High performance cars can also get you out of trouble, for instance whilst over-taking. You are in the danger area for a lot less time. I think the thread starter has never felt the sheer pleasure of screaming along at 150mph, what a rush!. Like i said, theirs a time and place for speed, today i managed 120 mph for a few miles, but then i had to slow and be Mr Sensible around town (mind you The Flemster had a nervous look on his ashen face :D )
If you want safer roads, teach people to drive better. Have a real driving test like the UK`s advanced driving test. At the moment you have driving lessons who`s sole aim is to get you through your driving test, after which thats it, no more education ever. Also make people ride a motorbike for a while, then you really have educated drivers. A year of dodging twats in cars sharpens you awareness on the road no end. Long live the performance car!
(oh yeh, chicks like them :D )
 
On the german autobahn`s they don`t have speed limits as such, but most of their performance cars are already limited to 155 mph. I think i`m correct in saying that the UK has the least deaths on the roads in europe. A study a few months ago of causes of accidents in the UK found that speed was 7th in their list. Driver incompetance was 1st.
 
Just watch the Daytona 500 or the NASCAR race from Talladega if you want to observe what happens when all cars are limited to nearly the same top speed.

Cars used in normal transportation need to have a top speed well in excess of the legal limit as a safety feature. There are driving occasions where the only safe way to extricate yourself from trouble is to accelerate well beyond the legal limit. Passing on a two lane road is the perfect example. Most drivers forget that they have three tools with which to extract themselves from troubling situations, (Steering, Brake and Throttle) most drivers forget about the throttle.
 
OK, I will say this , all cars should be able to attain the posted speed plus 20 MPH so if the fastest speed you can go is 75MPH then the car you drive shouldn't exceed the speed limit by 20MPH.
 
Just ban all oil forms of transport...

The oil will get you, you can't drink oil when there is no water left.
 
Then we would all bomb along at 95mph.
All cars at the same speed is just not practical. I have friends who are dangerous at 30 mph, and others who i trust at 100mph. Everybody has a different skill in driving. I see driving as a skill that needs regular practice. I enjoy driving, taking a corner in a controlled power slide is a fantastic feeling for me, but some of my friends crap themselves. Again its a matter of driver training,people like cosmic don`t seem as if they have a lot of experience driving to my mind. If he did he would understand why his statment is so impractical in the real world. No disrespect cosmic , but is that the case? Are you from the US? they have really crappy handling cars over there, and i would shit a brick doing 120mph in a car fitted with a steering wheel and a tiller just to get it round a corner at 40mph with soggy ,soft suspension and sort tyres.
 
The terrible handling of our cars here is pretty much fact. Of course, any red-blooded American boy can tell you that the crap they spew from the factories just needs a little tweaking...aw hell, a lot of tweaking. It's just a metter of knowing what you're doing and being willing to take chances. For example, most owners of V-6 3d Gen Camaros complain about sluggish engines and sloppy handling. My husband (a man with a notoriously technical mind) tore into the thing and now we've got a sled that buries the needle on a regular basis and asks for more. The fuel economy (we just recently found out) is higher than average thanks to modifications that help the motor breathe better. The suspension is tricked out to minimize body-roll, and the brakes need just one more modification to cut the stopping distance. The interior is nothing special. The fanciest thing about it are the Recaro bucket seats which we got out of a junkyard. It's still got the original V-6 coming up on the half million mile mark, and he drives it daily a minimum of 200 miles round trip. We haven't even modded the chip yet.

American cars can indeed compete. They just don't do it so well from the factory. My husband likes the new Corvettes, but he really honked off a dealer when he started talking about modifying it for performance and "putting some balls on it". Hee-hee! I guess you're not supposed to suggest that a Corvette might be lacking in the guts department! :D

BTW, in California you can miss almost half the answers on the written driving test, and they don't care which ones they are. But just boggle the clutch on a take-off and you might as well have run over Mother Theresa!
 
The thread starter Captain Crunch, lives in scotland. Bloody hell captain! you have the best driving roads in the UK on your doorstep, get the fastest motor you can afford, and take it for a thrash on those west coast highland roads. To any one on this forum, if you ever get the chance to drive the west of scotland, do it! You can scream along a single track road at 130-140mph, whilst being able to see a couple of miles (i kid you not) down the road. I did Glencoe at this speed, irresponsible some of you cry, but with nothing in the way, in a performance car its fucking fantastic! Your a lucky sod up there Captain, and i reckon once you`ve done it , you`ll agree with me :m:
 
High performance cars are lke Parker pens. An average bic biro, or a 99p fountain pen does what it sets out to do, which is to write. Same as a Parker pen, except that Parkers cost more and look flashy. Not much difference when it comes to writing.

An average, cheap coupe does what it sets out to do, which is to drive. A Lambourghini Diablo does what it sets out to do, which is to drive. It all depends on how flashy your car looks. Speed is an added extra. Would you buy a dump-truck, even if it went at Mach III? Exactly.

Speed limits are a way of keeping roads safe. Banning high-performance cars would not change this. People would still push their Fiat Puntos to 300mph if they can. How often do you see high-spec cars anyway? Road accidents usually occur from big tankers. Get a new lane for those and safety levels would rise nicely.
 
I`m all for that nutty, one lane just for nutter drivers! where do i sign :D
 
Slotty, I DO make a shit passenger but, as you know, get me behind the wheel of something fast....

Anyway.
Ban HP cars?
Fuck right off.
What's the point of that?
I can only summise 2 reasons for posting this thread:

1-- you've lost someone close to you due to a speed-related incident. If this is the case then you have my sympathy and I understand your reasons for wanting the roads to be a safer place.

2-- You're a 'Save The Tuna' hippy tosser. In which case, go feck yourself. I won't abide by the speed limits just to please some scraggly-bearded nonce. Sorry but I wanna get there a damn sight quicker that you, pal!

The *vrooom* Flemster.
 
there is a reason that cars arnt speed limited

if you speed limit a car to say 110KPH say and you are driving AT 110 because thats the speed limit and something happens you only have 2 choices (brake or steer). Without speed limited cars if you have to you can accelerate out of trouble as well as brake or steer out of it
 
Asguard said:
there is a reason that cars arnt speed limited

if you speed limit a car to say 110KPH say and you are driving AT 110 because thats the speed limit and something happens you only have 2 choices (brake or steer). Without speed limited cars if you have to you can accelerate out of trouble as well as brake or steer out of it
Click to expand...

And they're more fun.

Besides, I'm pretty sure that in most countries, you have to be near enough an adult to drive a car. So when are people in power going to start letting us choose for ourselves?

The Flemster.
 
i dont think the goverment cares if they are "fun"

they care about what will save lives
 
It would be easier to just convert all autos over to using hydrogen for fuel instead of gasoline or diesel.
 
The simple answer to the question "Why not ban ..." is that banning things is, inherently, wrong. Intolerant. Etc. etc. There must be a good justification for it.

Ban high performance cars? Why? There is NOTHING inherently wrong with a high performance car. OK - so there are some cretins who, when let loose on a high performance car, become seriously dangerous. But that is no reason for denying these cars to those who do not, and who take pleasure out of having them.

And I have seen some people who, let loose in a Vauxhall Corsa, become seriously dangerous ... so on that argument perhaps we shoudl be banning Corsa. too, should we?

I think not.

I quite like the suggestion of making drivers have to take a motorcycle test too so that they can appreciate things from a motorcyclist's point of view - but can we PLEASE also make them take a lorry test? When I'm driving my lorry (a 7.5 tonne Mercedes 811, if you're interested) with half a tonne of live weight on board, I need much more braking space than your average car. But whenever I try to give myself room to stop safely, your average driver of your average car thinks it's a good idea to fill it up for me.

This is at its worst on the dual carriageway sections of the A1. If I'm turning right at a roundabout I'll get into the Right-hand lane and signal right. By the 300 metre countdown board I want to have slowed to about 45 and then brake steadily and carefully to the roundabout, which I will take at 10 mph.

And what do I get? A steady stream of impatients cutting up my left-hand side, pulling out again in front of me, and braking hard. Hmmm ... really helpful, that one!
 
I agree that Schumi would win either way...
I couldnt Control : Schumi is the Best!! EVER!!

bye!
 
Good idea-however impossible. Your talking about getting every car manufacturer to design special 120/mph cut-offs for your country for every new vehicle they produce? What about all the vehicles that exist in the country right now? Who would pay for the cost to convert all the vehicles in existence (in your country) to maintain this speed regulation? Any such action would have to go through the government and they probably have many other problems to deal with rather than something like this. There would also probably a much cheaper, sensible and logical way to deal with it.

Here in Canada speeding is a problem just as anywhere else. As a recently Police Foundations gradute I can honestly say that it isn't as a major issue as other things such as drunk-driving or even careless drving. Speeds higher than 120/mph aren't always a factor where impaired driving is concerned. Yes, speeding is no doubt an issue however, here in Canada we have speed traps, hefty fines for speeding, and several databases to keep record of and track down repeat offenders. This crime could be prevented with the 120/mph limit although a new breed of crime would be created as a result. This is something you consider. I mean, think about it. All these cars will now be black-marketed undergound by these speed freaks to go faster the 120/mph. They will be re-modified into their original configuration. Basically, criminals will find away to defeat the law and another type of crime(s) will have to be dealt with.

A car that goes faster than 120/mph isn't the issue here. It is the person driving the vehicle that goes faster then 120/mph that we should be concerned about. I suggest that people caught speeding a couple of times or 'known' speed freaks should have their cars modified by law enforcement to not exceed 120/mph and regularily (or even randomley) monitored for their speed performance. If they break the law after that then take away their driving privledges all togther.
 
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